EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Here are three takeaways from the Lakers’ 126-114 victory Friday over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals:
1. Welcome back to the lineup, Dwight Howard.
Howard played only five minutes in the Lakers’ last four games because, well, he was too tall. The Lakers relegated him and fellow center JaVale McGee to the bench to match up better with the undersized Houston Rockets.
But Howard was back in a big way against the more typically tall Nuggets.
He entered the game in the second quarter, and this is all he did over the next seven minutes: Two steals, two blocked shots, five points, and one interrupted huddle when he stood among five Denver players trying to gather during a break in the action. (The latter wasn’t well-received by the aforementioned Nuggets.)
Howard played so well in the first half that he started the third quarter in place of McGee. He dunked an alley-oop pass from LeBron James right away and quickly drew a fourth foul on Denver center Nikola Jokic, who seemed flustered by Howard on numerous occasions.
Howard added an alley-oop dunk from Rajon Rondo a short while later and finished with 13 points in only 16 minutes.
“It was awesome,” Howard said. “I knew the last series was going to be tough [personally]. I realized we were right at the goal line. This is where distractions always tend to creep up on you. A lot of times, this is where people just fall. For myself, I just said, ‘Be prepared for whatever.’”
2. Anthony Davis wasn’t cheap. He cost the Lakers three players and three first-round draft picks when they made the blockbuster trade to acquire him last summer.
His play in the last month alone has almost merited the steep cost the Lakers paid.
He had 37 points in 33 minutes Friday, seamlessly flowing between offense and defense. He was a burden down low on the Nuggets, who just kept fouling him.
He scored 16 points in the third quarter as the Lakers blew open the game by taking a 24-point lead. He didn’t skip on the fundamentals either, making 12 of 15 free throws and adding 10 rebounds.
The full impact of the Davis trade won’t be known for years. New Orleans, in addition to the draft picks, certainly got a quality player in Brandon Ingram, who recently won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
But a championship this year makes the trade well worth it, and then some.
3. Rondo made a little history for himself in Game 1.
It wasn’t surprising — it’s the playoffs. It’s his time to shine, his chance to live up to the “playoff Rondo” moniker he’s earned over the years.
His seventh assist moved him past Michael Jordan for 10th on the NBA’s all-time playoff assist list. Always a memorable night when you pass Jordan in anything.
Rondo, 34, finished with seven points and nine assists, and credited “all the great players” alongside him over the years as the reason for his move up the career playoff charts.
To top it off, he scored in a surreal way in the fourth quarter, floating the ball over the backboard after getting forced behind it on a drive.
“I haven’t practiced that shot in about 12 years,” he said.
He had helped tilt the Houston series in the Lakers’ direction with strong efforts in Games 2, 3 and 4, and definitely helped them start with aplomb in the conference finals Friday.
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.